Method of and means for drawing glass cylinders



March 16 1926. 1,577,007

w. WESTBURY METHOD OF AND mans FOR DRAW-1N6 GLASS CYLINDERS Filed May 12, 1922 Ja z.

a, Q o

attorney a Patented Mar. 1 1926.

V ""MENTSITO' 1 1 Mmeeew 'ANH EA-Ns -FOR mmwme -G-LASS CYLINDERS.

i Application fileq Ma y- 12,1 1922. 'SeriafgNo g560,434.

-To =allwhomi it may concern. t v

:lBe it known that I, XZILLI M *XVESTBURY, a citizenof the Uni-ted f States; residing at Independence, in the county-of: Montgoinery rand: State of -Kansasyfhaye iinvented fnew and useful Improvements in- 1\iet-heds=' of. and 'h Ieans for Drawing-1 Glass; iaCylinders-,-.-of whichflthe following-4 is a" specification.

This: invention relates toiayni-ethodof; and 10 means for drawing; cylinders] lIli-$llQl1j a; manner-r as lJO': avoid the; :di'aWing ro-fu cylinders which are of uneven-thickness zat gopp'osite ;sides,';that is;; of; greater t-h-airthe intended rthicknessTationeisidej. J :1 in drawing: a: cylinder irony charge: of glass iira-p'ot or.sirnilarreceptacle{of a greater givendiameter thanzthe:diaineterwof the: cylinder to he idrawng'it is frequently the casethatathe cylinder is out of center withrelationto thecentenni-the: Pot. 111 .sucheventatwoi sides ofx-theicylindersare disposed'at different distancesnflfointhe adiujacent sides of the-pot; the result being that one side of thecylindenis drawn from hot v and linipid glass; While-the opposite-side: of the cylinder: is" heing-:,drawn from! cooler; and more viscous glass, the thicker a-nd1no1"e viscous iglassmrodukzing an objectionabl-y thick cylinder-Wall. q-

One-- object of inyriinvention is to; provide a: method of-u drawingi glass "cyli1icle1s1;fr0111 a pot or similar receptacle, fw-hereby through i a: relative adjustinenti between the potf and j cylinder, correction. may; be readily-and conenientjly inade wli-enevermtlie icyl-inderr is found to loe drawing .ofi: .rcenterf, toiproper- I 1y i dispose the 'ylinder ,aSOwtha-b a gcyl-iiider i having walls =0f-3- substantially:sequaln thickness nay bedrawn;-, v y I U r T 40 VA:furtherobjection-the,rinveiitionr-is .to

:provide "a =1118tl10d1 of i'the-i character; stated Y which a a dinitsf {of :the :Vrdescribed: (adj ustndent and correction: inn-the: drawingi action :wbeing,

: made at: any time*durin'gcthe =-progress: of: :the

draw, 1 or wheneyer the: defect is discovered, thus: preventing or; reducing to: 'arininiiniun the amountof lthi-ck all surface drawn; in any given-cylinder.- z

1 :A- still 'fur'ther-'object'of theinvention as to. provide a novel m'o'de of lnountingnralbody for 1 tilting adjustments, 'E'ivhereby: nthe describedniethod' may: lie-carried into; practical e'fiectmin agready, convenient and simple mam-lei. V A'qstill :further; object of the inventiongis to 'proyidea: novel construction ofheating l-kiln: and a nove'li construction of pot" fonuse in; connection therewith, which pot. may be reversed --Withou t the; necessity of using ar 1 .fce j iege i tor I b1- f01?; l of i -rbodilyrraising thegpotz out oil-the kilndn order to:- enable it-to be reversed, 711 the; accompanying drawingi ny= i Figure l vis .-a"vertical section throughla hea'ting kiln and reversible-pot ,e1nbo dying my invention and employed in I my method, I -the section being taken on the -plane indioated loty the line an" Fig lire 2. v

Figure 2 is atop plan view-of the furnace we -Pe 4 Figure .3 zis a detail section-on.the line y of' Figure 2. x

'In the} present 7 one lneans vof carrying iny;invention into practical effect; in which a double reversible pot is used ib ut Qit is Jto be understood that the invention is not z-li nited theret-o,: as it will: he obvious from the appendedlde scription that .arsingle pot structureinay be empl ed-i 1 i. l it 'f t. iv Rferringflto the drawing, 1 designatesi a ei eltiee i rl urne mins: wi el ee illustratidi sclosurel fl :have shown ha he 2 of epp xi e ely misrh e torinwhich chamber-is provided gat itsl loottoin with the usual I eye or outlet 3.. forfthe discharge pf-the n elted;glass refus eg olfaftermath frointhe pot? OIie or ino'reggas or -other suitable; burners fl: are proyidedr for Wheating the; chamber 2 and bottom of the inyerted; p o t from which the aftenna-thQis t o heineltedin a welhlgnownmanner. V lylountedup'o n f the furnace. structure is ;a

:' pot carrying frame 5 carrying apairof. re-

yerselyl idisp'osedypots; 6f-and; Tghaving their bottom portions arranged in; apposition,-a-nd gvtheir -g' glass; receiving--clia nbers yor-cayities facing; in diametrically o oposite directions,

theiarrangement-being-such that When-the pot I 6 is lin dr a'wingepositionthe- ;.pot: 7 Will bein-drainingqposition; and vice versa. The pot frame may ,be I of any suitable construcltion and preferably provided With pro'per vincans: for reinovably :-clarnping the pots thereon, whereby when either pot is damaged it may be removed and a new pot convenicntly substituted therefor.

Supporting means for tiltably mounting the pot frame is provided comprising a shaft 8 having end portionsor journals 9 and 10 projecting at opposite sides of the pot structure, said journals being mounted respectively in bearings 11 and 12. The end 9 of the shaft has attached thereto an operating lever 12 provided with a counterwei 'ht 13, which counterweight substantially balances the weight of the pot structure and adapts it tobe readily and conveniently tilted in one vertical plane on the shaft 8 as an axis of motion. The bearings 11 and 12 are s ecially mounted to enable the pot to be also tilted in another vertical plane at an angle to its plane of motion on the shaft 8, and as herein shown in a plane at right angles to its plane of motion on the shaft 8. To this end the bearing 11 is pivotally mounted, as at 13, to adapt the end 9 of the shaft 8 to tilt vertically on such pivotal connection, while the bearing 12 is vertically movable and adjustable in a guide-way formed in a guide member 14 to permit the end 10 of the shaft to be raised and lowered to effect a tilting adjustment of the shaft end 9 on the said pivotal connection 13. In the particular construction illustrated, the bearmg 12 is carried by a vertically movable yoke 14 to which is swiveled the lower end of an adjusting screw 15 mounted in the guide member 141 and provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 16 by means of which it may be turned in one direction or the other to raise or lower the yoke 14' and, consequently, the bearing 12. By vertically adjusting the bearing 12 it will be evident that the pot may be tilted vertically along the line of the imaginary axis y-y arranged at right angles to the axial line ww coincident with the plane of the shaft 8. In order to adapt theend 10 of the shaft 8 to accommodate itself to its an les of adjustment the bearing 12 is provided with trunnions 17 adapting it to turn upon the yoke 14 as will be readily understood.

In practice the mouth or open end of the chamber 2is of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the pots 6 and 7, and the shaft 8 is supported at such an elevation that the rim edge of the bottom or reversed pot, as shown by the pot 7 in Figure 1, lies close to and at a slight elevation above the level of the top of the chamber 2, the arrangementbeing such that when the pot structure is reversed to move one pot into and the other out of drawing position, in an arc of movement of 180, the bottom of the pot structure will swing free and clear of the kiln and without interference therefrom. The bottom pot will thus be disposed in reversed or drainage position immediately above the chamber 2 and to a large extent close said chamber and lie immediately within the zone of the heat and flames from the burners 4, while at the same time the pot is so mounted that it may be reversed without any other than a simple 180 movement 011 its shaft or axis 8. By this means I obtain a reliable and efficient reversing action and disposal of the inverted pot member in proper drainage position, without the necessity of raising and lowering the pot for re versing actions as is required with many structures, or of using a carriage shift for moving the pot into and out of drainage position, or of employing a movable top stone and means for shifting the same into and out of operative position.

The pot and its frame structure as above described, which specifically forms the subject-matter of a copending application, Serial No. 560,435, filed May 12, .1922, is adapted for general uses in drawing glass cylinders, with the special advantages named over prior pot devices in common use, but it is further adapted to perform certain special functions in carrying out my im proved method for correcting deficiencies in drawing actions and preventing the drawing of thick and thin cylinders. It is well known in the industry that the base of the cylinder being drawn will sometimes creep or travel upon the surface of the molten glass bath out of the normal or intended line of the draw, and that this leads to the production of thick and thin glass. My experiments have shown that no matter in what direction the displacement of the cylinder occurs, correction of the defective drawing action may be effected to secure a sui'liciently true centering action for all purposes by tilting adj ustment of the pot in two general directions only in planes at right angles to each other.

Assuming that the axis 8 is disposed for a tilting motion of the pot in two cardinal directions, to wit, east and west, it will be understood that similar corrective movements for centering actions may be obtained by tilting the pot through movements on the pivot 13 for north and south cardinal point adjustments, or in two different directions at right angles to the plane of the corrective movements east and west. These four tilting adjustments for which the pot is adapted as disclosed in the present instance, will in general be found all that is necessary to correct defective draws of the character specified, irrespective of the direction in which the cylinder is displaced or oif center with relation to the axial center of the pot and the charge of glass therein. Any of these corrective movements may be performed at any time during the progress of a draw, when the cylinder is discovered to be off center, without stopping the progress of the draw, or discarding the portion of the cylinder already drawn or waiting for correction until the defective cylinder is fully drawnand the drawing of another cylinder is begun, as is required under present pracg ,iary to the adjusting screw 15 is required for holding the pot titlted in either direction of the line y-y. For the purpose of holding the pot structure in adjusted position when tilted in the direction of line c0m, any suitable means may be employed.

1 have shown in the present instance a simp'le form of adjusting and holding device comprising a wedge 24 having a carrying and manipulating handle 25. When the lever 12 is swung over in either direction to an approximate position of adjustment,

the wedge may be inserted between the same (or the counterweight 13 thereon) and the top of the kiln 1 and adjusted in and'out as occasion may require to dispose the pot structure at the exact and desired level. By shifting the wedge 24 in and out an exceedingly accurate degree of adjustment may be obtained and an easy and convenient centering action secured without the expenditure of any great amount of time or effort on the part of the operator. As the wedge 21 may be interchangeably employed on either side of the center line 0c-w-for cooperation with the lever 12, it will be evident th at maximum simplicity is secured and the use of complex ozgotherwise objectionable fastening and adjusting means avoided.

It will, of course, be understood that while I have shown a double reversible pot, which,

for convenience and general efliciency will be preferably used, the same mode of operation for carrying my method into practice may be employed with a single pot structure, and hence I do not limit my invention in this connection;

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim:-

1. In a glass drawing apparatus, a glass drawing pot, a rotary support for the pot extending on a line diametrically of the pot in one direction and on which the pot is adapted to be tilted in a direction at right angles to such diametrical line, said support being fulcrumed at one end, and means operative upon the opposite end of the support for swlnging said support on its fulcrum and tilting the pot in a plane coin-.

ciding with the said diametrical line and at right angles to the direction of tilting motion first mentioned.

2; In a glass drawing apparatus, the combination of a drawing pot, a shaft carrying said pot and having oppositely extending end portions, a vertically tilting bearing in which one end of the shaft is journaled, a bearing in which the other end of the shaft is journaled, a yoke in which the second named bearing is mounted to tilt vertically, a guide in which the yoke is mounted for vertical adjustment, and means for vertically adjusting the yoke in said guide.

3. In a glass drawing apparatus, the combination of a melting kiln, a shaft disposed above the top of the kiln, a pot carried by said shaft, a lever movable inopposite clirections for swinging said pot between drawing and draining positions, and a wedge adapted to be inserted between the lever and the top of the kiln to tiltably adjust the pot so as to effect a relative shifting of the centers of a glass charge therein and a cylinder being drawn therefrom. I i

4. In the art of drawing glass cylinders from a charge of glass in a pot, the method of correcting defective draws due to the lateral displacement of the cylinder from the normal drawing zone, which consists in tilting the pot, while drawing, on either one or both of two axes one lying in a plane diametrical of the pot and the other in a plane at right angle thereto. I In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

v lVILLIAM WVESTBURY. 

